Honda Begins Operation of New Solar Hydrogen Station

Owners of a Honda FCX Clarity may find the development below contributing to the the 'convenience' of owning a hydrogen powered Honda. The article is sourced from WorldCarFans:

Honda has launched a new solar-powered hydrogen fueling station capable of refilling fuel cell electric vehicles overnight. The device, under development for ten years, could theoretically be installed in the home garage of any future customer.

The single-unit station produces 0.5 kilograms of hydrogen over an eight-hour period. Sadly, many consumers would likely not find this to be purposeful in many situations. 0.5 kg of hydrogen will only move the Honda FCX Clarity a total of 30 miles.

Honda's new home station is not meant to replace commercial filling stations, which will still be necessary to fully fill a vehicle quickly, often in less than five-minutes. The slow-fill home-based station would be used to reduce costs to the end user.

A full "fast fill" at a commercial location would provide the Honda FCX Clarity with a 285-mile range, according to a press release. However, the FCX Clarity's range is listed at 240 miles on the official website for the vehicle.

Honda claims the fuel is produced more efficiently in the new home station than previous solar units, with enough hydrogen created for a typical urban or suburban commute. This efficiency was increased by 25% thanks to a smaller and lighter "high differential pressure electrolyser," replacing a system made up of an electrolyser and separate compressor.

Because the system is missing a storage unit, the station will only produce hydrogen when a vehicle is connected. Although some would no doubt prefer to refuel quickly by tapping into a storage tank, the tank would likely prevent the system from being installed at many homes due to land-usage and zoning rules.

The system's solar panels hook up to the grid, sending electricity during daylight if a vehicle is not hooked up. Honda says most customers would use off-peak electricity to power the station when recharging overnight.

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2011 Volvo S60 Sedan Promotional Video

Set to be the most stunning Volvo sedan, the S60 was conceive as a BMW 3 series & Audi A4 challenger. Here is the short promotional video showing the Volvo S60 blazing through the road + desert.



Production of the sleek-looking four-door sedan model will start in early summer at the Volvo Cars plant in Ghent, Belgium.


Volvo hasn't issued specific details on the car that's based on the 2009 Detroit Show S60 Concept, but it is believed that it will make use of the company's smaller in size and more fuel efficient, turbocharged gasoline engines with direct-injection including the recently revealed 2.0 GTDI with 203HP and a 1.6-liter four pot with up to 180HP.

Pininfarina 2-seater Spider Concept

True Italian Arachnid crawling to Geneva. Here are the bits from Autoexpress :

The Italian job is heading to Geneva. Celebrating its collective 180th birthday, Alfa Romeo and Pininfarina turn 100 and 80 respectively this year. And what better way to celebrate both manufacturers anniversaries than a collaboration between the pair.

Based around an Alfa, the Pininfarina Concept will draw inspiration from spiders of the past and this first official sketch gives us a clear look at what the show car will look like. Featuring alloy wheels borrowed from the stunning 8C Competzione, the concept will be a true 2-seater, steeped deep in Italian heritage and tradition.

The concept looks like it won’t be short on style either, with smooth flowing lines and plenty of curves in all the right places. Full details on the cars performance will be revealed when the concept makes its world debut on March 2 at the Geneva Motor Show.

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Volvo Unveils Direct-Injected And Turbocharged GTDi Engine

It would be great to have this engine featured in Volvo's sold in Malaysia in the future. The current ones equpiied with Ford powerplant seems to have watered down its premium factor. Here is the juice from Volvo:

Volvo has unveiled the new 2.0-liter GTDi (Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection) four-cylinder engine for the S80, V70, and XC60.

Featuring a turbocharger, direct injection, and twin variable camshafts, the engine offers "a unique combination of low fuel consumption, low emissions and high performance across a wide rev range." More importantly, the engine is outfitted with the world's first exhaust manifold and integrated turbine system made of sheet steel. While this sound pretty boring, Volvo says "The sheet (steel) is lighter and more compact and, above all, this system generates less heat owing to its extra insulating layer. This allows high gas flow temperature and thus more efficient combustion. "

Jointly developed with Borg-Warner and Benteler Automotive (a steel component manufacturer), the engine produces 203 hp and 300 Nm (320 Nm with overboost). While Volvo declined to release full performance data, they stated a GTDi-equipped S80 would consume 8.3 liters of petrol per 100 kilometers (28 mpg).

According to Magnus Jonsson, head of Product Development at Volvo Cars, "We've succeeded in making a four-cylinder engine that is as powerful as a 2.5-litre five-cylinder unit, and it's also much more energy-efficient. This is a very welcome both for those customers who want high performance as well as supreme driveability and for the environment that benefits from the improved fuel efficiency. One of the most important reasons behind the results is our new, patented turbo system that has been tailor-made for smaller energy-efficient engines."

The GTDi engine will be initially launched in South-East Asia, the Netherlands, China and Japan. It will be available with a six-speed manual or a six-speed double-clutch automatic transmission.

Volkswagen Golf "R" By B&B

Here is a short one sourced from Carscoop :

German tuning specialist, B&B, is turning the up wick on the most potent series-production Golf ever made, the new 270HP all-wheel drive Golf R, with the launch of a performance package that includes powertain and chassis upgrades.

The engine mods come in three different stages, with the first bumping output from 270 horsepower to 310HP, the second to 324HP and the third to a hefty 362HP.

The most powerful kit features a larger turbocharger, a sports exhaust system with a different downpipe and a racing catalyst, reprogrammed ECU, a revised air intake system and a new intercooler.

B&B claims that the 362HP Golf R sprints from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) in just 4.8 seconds and maxes out at 280km/h or 174 mph.

The tuning firm also offers a special 8-caliper high-performance braking system, an adjustable coilover suspension with new springs that lower the vehicle's ride height and a set of black-colored alloy wheels in sizes 19'' and 20'.

MINI E Electric Vehicle Feedback

Those who are yearning to know how is it like to use an electric vehicle in your daily life may find this article by release by BMW and summarize by WorldCarFans helpful. BMW commissioned the University of California, Davis to conduct the study on a select few. Here are their reactions :

most MINI E cutomers are generally happy with their cars after six months of usage. However, as the financial post report, the most common complaint is "range anxiety."

Although a fully-charged MINI E can keep the car moving for 160 kilometers, a full recharge with the included high voltage cables takes between four and eight hours. If a MINI E owner is forced to plug the car into a standard 110-volt household outlet, recharge time takes up to 23 hours.

MINI E driver Tom Moloughney told the Canadian newspaper, "Until there are plentiful public charging stations, there is an 'electric leash' that you must respect." Because of this, Moloughney installed an extra charging station at work. "Being able to charge midday virtually doubles the range for me. I've driven as much as 280 km in a single day, which is more than just about anyone would need to do for a work day."

It is this last statement that BMW's marketing department is really honing in on. A press release from the MINI parent says that 160 kilometers has been reported as being "sufficient for most daily needs" by the 57 drivers surveyed in the study. The study also examined the logs of all 450 MINI E drivers, who say that the motoring experience in the electric vehicle is just as "delightful" as in a conventionally-powered car. However, driver's would also like to see more room for cargo and additional passengers.

"When people first drive the MINI E, they usually don't like the regenerative braking," said Dr. Thomas Turrentine. Dr. Turrentine is running the MINI E study for UC Davis. Still, the report shows that "after a few hours they get used to [regenerative brakes], and after they have driven it for a week, they are very positive about it."

The MINI E trial will also serve as the basis for the limited rollout of the BMW ActiveE electric car. The ActiveE was shown off at the NAIAS, and will become available in limited numbers from 2011.

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Carlsson C25 For Geneva 2010

Now if you are not a world class sportsperson to represent your country but have a bank account with cash enough to eliminate poverty in a tiny impoverish nation might get a chance to do just that by getting yourself this Super GT. Find out why :

Carlsson, the well-known Mercedes-Benz specialist, announced today that it will shake the covers off the C25, which it describes as the company's "first own-developed automobile".

And by that, Carlsson actually means that it has created its own limited run super-car using a whole lot of bits and pieces from Mercedes-Benz' parts bin.

Nevertheless, the drawings suggest that the C25 will have its own unique styling personality while the tuner claims that the same goes for the new interior that receives a generous use of real carbon, tanned buffalo leather and ultra-suede in special colors.


Underneath the sheetmetal, it's all about tuning Mercedes-Benz' running gear. Power comes from a tweaked 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine that cranks out 753-horsepower and a mouth dropping 1,320Nm or 974 lb-ft (!) of peak torque that's available at 3,750 rpm. With that kind of power, it's no surprise that Carlsson announces a 0-100km/h (62mph) time of just 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 353 km/h or 219mph.

The completely street-legal C25 also gets ESP, ABS, airbag systems, an intelligent lowering C-Tronic SUSPENSION, 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels shod in 265/30 tires at the front and 325/25 at the back as well as 405mm slotted race brake discs at the front and 380mm race brake discs at the rear.

Carlsson said that it will produce only 25 examples of the car delivering only one automobile per country. More details and pricing are to be announced at the C25's world premiere at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.



Source : Carscoop

New Volvo V50 Now In Malaysia

Swedish Motor Assemblies has rolled out another Volvo model to complement the newly launched S40 2.0 Powershift not very long ago. The Volvo V50 wagon is locally assembled and it comes with a price tag of RM RM185,950 (OTR without insurance). Whether or not the additional RM16,000 more over the sedan variant justifies the additional space available + the ability to proudly display your mountain bike is up for you to decide. Here are the details from Paultan:


The V50 2.0 Powershift is powered by a 145 bhp/185 Nm 2.0-litre engine (which is essentially the Duratec engine found in the Ford Focus) mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission called Powershift, also from Ford. Like the S40, this variant replaces the 2.4-litre five-pot V50 – fuel consumption is reduced by up to 11% with this new drivetrain, says Volvo.



Compared to the V50 2.4i, this new variant has a few new features, such as Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), Dynamic Stability Traction Control (DSTC), bi-xenon headlights, keyless entry and a new Brilliant Blue colour. BLIS is a Volvo innovation which alerts the driver of vehicles “hiding” in his/her blind spot. A warning light inside of the side mirrors illuminate in such a case, so you know when not to change lanes.

The Blue V50 you see comes with optional extras such as roof rack, a subtle bodykit and blue dials from Volvo’s R-design catalogue for an addtional amount of course.

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Peugeot 408 Debuts In China

No,it is not the successor to the sleek 407 sedan (thank god). It is actually a 308 with a tail according to Peugeot. The rear is a let down in comparison to other models in the peugeot range. Here is the story from Paultan :

The new Peugeot 408 is actually a C-segment notchback sedan based on the C-segment Peugeot 308 platform, but with its wheelbase lengthened to give better interior room since it is a 4-door. Suspension settings have also been revised for the car’s new sedan weight and for a more comfort-biased setup. In China, its positioned against other C-segment sedans like the Civic and the Focus. And this time Peugeot seems to have gotten the ‘hatch to sedan’ conversion right – it looks a lot less awkward than the 206 Sedan.

The 408 measures 4,680mm long, 1,800mm long and 1,500mm wide. It has a wheelbase of 2,710mm which trumps the Civic’s throne as the longest wheelbase C-segment vehicle available right now (well not exactly – the Fluence wheelbase is said to be 2,702mm). It approaches CD-segment territory with that wheelbase length (the Pug 407’s wheelbase is 2,725mm)! This should mean pretty good interior room in theory.

The Chinese launch of the car introduces a two engine line-up – a 110hp 1.6 liter engine and a 147hp 2.0 liter engine. Different markets may get different engines. The 1.6 liter engine’s 110 horses is reached at 5,750rpm while peak torque of 147Nm is reached at 4,000rpm with 85% reached from just 2,000rpm. and 95% (140Nm) between 3,000rpm and 5,500rpm. That’s a good and wide torque spread. The 2.0 liter unit is equipped with continuously variable valve timing. It produces its peak power at 6,000rpm with peak torque of 200Nm reached at 4,000rpm.

The transmission options are either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic, which is the new AT8 Porsche Tiptronic system model. Not the same one as found in the 206 or the 308, which is the AL4. The AT8 uses a torque converter by ZF which improves gearbox output and reduces consumption by about 5%. The gearbox management can also lock the three higher gears to reduce torque converter slip during gentle driving.

Renderings Of The Nissan Juke

I may be bombarded for saying that the upcomming Nissan Juke looks more like a joke out of Disney channel (when viewed from the front) because of the saying that goes "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" but I guess I will just have to live with that. Here is the rendering & article by Autoexpress. :

Nissan's Juke is out of the box! Just last week the Japanese manufacturer released a first official teaser shot of its all-new baby Qashqai, and at the same time revealed its name - 'Juke'. And now, using that image as a guide, we have the most accurate pictures yet of the firm's all-new crossover.

With the mould-breaking Qashqai, cut-price GT-R and now this compact SUV - designed to steal sales from traditional family hatchbacks - Nissan is fast earning a reputation for offering interesting alternatives to established models in the market. And judging by our exclusive images, the Juke's compact footprint and Tonka-toy looks mean it has every chance of mirroring the Qashqai's incredible showroom success.

Slotting in between the Note and Qashqai, the Juke will expand Nissan's broad range even further. And when it goes on sale in October, it should provide a welcome boost for the UK car industry too - it will be built alongside the Qashqai and Qashqai+2 at Nissan's Sunderland plant.

The Qazana concept car's swollen wheels arches have been carried over, along with the narrow, elongated headlights and oversize fog lights underneath, while the roofline have taken on a more angular profile.

Full details on the newcomer will be realeaed at the global media unveiling on February 10th, but it's public debut won't be until the Geneva Motor Show in March.

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